Box construction



B. T. GILL BOX CONSTRUCTION v p il 8, 1958 Filed May 1, 1955 2heets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR BERT/PAM 7t GILL l5 l7 BY: 67

ATT'YS April 8, 1958 B. T. GILL 2,829,792

BOX CONSTRUCTION Filed May 31, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BERTRAM ZQ/LL ATT'YS United States Patent BOX CONSTRUCTION Bertram T. Gill,Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Application May 31, 1955, Serial No. 512,021

1 Claim. (Cl. 217-12) This invention relates to boxes or crates and inparticular to boxes or crates of the type used to pack and shipfrangible articles such as bottles.

Boxes of this type generally in use today are made from timber, usuallywith mortised or dove-tailed or nailed .joints. This method ofconstruction results in a very expensive box. A further disadvantagesuffered by these boxes is that due to the method of manufacture theyare ditiicult and expensive to repair should the need arise.

Wooden boxes which are not reinforced with metal have a very short lifedue to their inabilityto withstand the rough handling that they receivein transit. It is Well known to protect the corners of boxes by metalangle members but the method of doing this which is commonly used isexpensive and time consuming. Almost all metal reinforced wooden boxeshave a welded frame into which the boards are fitted. Each weld is aseparate operation unless jigs are used in which case only one size andtype of box can be assembled by the operator without adjusting the jigto accommodate the new size.

In boxes adapted to contain bottles, it is often the practice to insertpartitions in the box to hold the bottles in spaced relationship to oneanother. In order to support the partitions in the box it is necessaryto perform several operations in addition to those performed inassembling the box itself. The partitions are usually nailed to the sidewalls of the box or secured by means of slots in the walls which makesthem diflicult to remove for repair or replacement.

From the foregoing discussion it will be seen that the present state ofthe'box or crate art is highly unsatisfactory.

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide abox which will overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.

More specifically it is an object of this invention to provide ametal-framed wooden box which is assembled without welds.

It is another object of the invention to provide a box which will bevery sturdy and resistant to roughhandling.

It is still another object to provide a box which can bottom frame arereceived together by corner posts engaging each and means are providedto tighten the assembly by exerting a force on the upper frame to causeit to bear on the side walls and urge them towards the bottom boards.

The invention is defined in the appended claim when read in the light ofthe following description of the preferred embodiment. The invention isillustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like referencenumerals denote like parts inthe various views and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a box made in accordance with thisinvention with portions cut away to show details of construction;

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the lower portion of a cornerbracket;

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the upper portion of the cornerbracket of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the bottom frame illustrating itsconstruction;

- Fig. 5 is a section through a box having cross partitions;

Fig. 6 is a section similar to Fig. 5 showing a slightly differentconstruction, and

Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of an inner corner post.

Referring now to the drawings the box will be seen to consist generallyof a bottom frame, a top frame, corner posts, a bottom wall and sidewalls.

The bottom frame shown generally at 10 in Fig. 1 and in detail in Fig. 4consists of a metal angle member having a vertical flange 11 and ahorizontal flange 12. The angle member in Fig. 4 is of a length equal tothe perimeter of the box and is divided into sections 10a (Fig. 4) bymeans of cuts 13 in the horizontal flange 12. The sections Hm are oflengths equal to the lengths of corresponding sides of the box. Holes 14are punched or drilled in pairs in the flange 12, one oneach side ofeach cut 13 and one hole at each end of the angle member. When the anglemember is then bent to the form shown in Figure 4 in dotted lines, theportions of flange 12 adjacent cuts 13 overlap one another andthe holes14 of each pair register with one another as do the holes 14 at each endof the member. By passing bolts through the holes 14 angle members canbe held in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4 without welding.

Lying within the frame produced in the manner described above is abottom board 15. This bottom board be made in any size without alteringthe assembly procedure.

It is still another object to provide a box in which partitions may beerected and removed with a maximum of facility.

It is yet another object to provide a box in which the partitions willbe held within the box without the use of nails, screws or otherfastening means.

It is also an object to provide a box which can be repaired withoutdisassembly.

Finally it is an object of the invention to provide a box which issimple and economical to manufacture.

According to the invention a one-piece metal bottom frame is providedwhich receives the bottom board of the box and in which the side wallsare seated. An upper frame consisting of channel membersis seated on theupper edges of the sidewalls. The upper frame and the may convenientlybeof pressed board, plywood or similar sheet material or may be madefrom conventional timber boards. As seen in Figs. 1 and 2 the corners 16of the bottom board 15 are cut off at an angle so that the bottom boardwill not extend into the corners of the bottom frame and interfere withthe holes 14. Along the remainder of the periphery of the bottom board,however, the edges 17 are in abutment with the vertical flange 11 of theangle member 10.

Side walls 13 extend upwardly from the marginal edges of the bottomboard 15. The side walls 18 may also be of material such as pressedboard, plywood or the like and rest upon their edges in abutment withthe bottom board 15 and the vertical flange 11 of the bottom frame.

Seated on the upper edge of each side wall is a metal channel member 19,which is roughly of U-shaped crosssection, having legs 19a and 1% asseen in Fig. 3. The channel member 19 straddles the upper edge of theside wall and extends along substantially its entire length. 4

External corner posts 20 are provided of angle material having twoflanges 20a and 20b at to one another. These corner posts bear at oneend upon horizontal flange 1.2 of the bottom frame between the sidewalls 18 and the vertical flange 11 of the bottom frame and at theother, bear against the web of the channel members joining the two legsthereof, flange 20a lying against one side wall and flange 20b lyingagainst the adjacent side wall. The posts 20 are of a length equal tothe height of the side walls 18 plus the thickness of the bottom board15. Thus since they rest upon the flange 12 of the bottom frame they lieflush with the upper edge of the side walls. The position of the outercorner posts 20 may be seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

'Inner corner posts 21 are also provided and are shown in detail in Fig.7. The corner posts consist of angle material having flanges 21a and 21bat 90 to one another. At the upper end of thepost, at the ends of eachflange is a tab 22 which is bent downwardly as shown in full lines toform a hook. At the lower end of the post 21, triangular tabs 23 areprovided which are each bent at right angles to the flanges 21a and 2112as shown in full lines to form a horizontal flange or base 23a throughwhich a hole 24 is provided adapted to register with holes 14 in thehorizontal flange of the bottom frame.

Referring now to Fig. 3, it will be seen that near each end of eachchannel member 19 two slits 25 and 26 are provided in leg 19b runningparallel to the length of the channel member, the material between theslits being raised to provide a loop 27 adapted to receive hooks 22.

To assemble the box, the bottom board is seated on flange 12 of thebottom frame, the side walls 18 are set up in position and the outercorner posts inserted between flange 11 and the side walls at eachcorner. The channel members 19 are placed over the upper edges of theside walls and the outer corner posts. The inner corner posts 21 arethen set in position with hooks 22 engaging loops 27 in the channelmembers. Each post 21 has two hooks 22 which engage the loops 27 of adjacent channel members to tie the corners securely together. A bolt 28is passed through holes 14 and 24 and a nut 29 is threaded thereon andtightened down. The length of. the inner corner post 21 is such thatwhen the hooks 22 are firmly seated in the loops 27 there is a gap ofperhaps to A of an inch between the bottom of post 21 and the uppersurface of flange 12. The tightening of nut 29 on bolt 28 closes thisgap and draws the post downwardly thereby clamping channel members 19firmly on the side walls. Since outer corner posts 20 are ofthe sameheight as the side walls 18 the greater, part of the load on the sidewalls due to the, tightening of bolt 28 and nut. 29 is borne by them,suflicient pressure being exerted on the side walls themselves" to holdthem tightly against the bottom board 15.

'It will readily be seen that boxes of any size can be assembled withoutaltering the procedure. There are no welding jigs to contentwith and nospecial handling or assembling procedures are required to accommodateboxes of different sizes.

Furthersince the only differencev in the metal components of boxes ofdifferent sizes is in the length of the; members, the-manufacturingprocesses of these members are so similar as to require a minimum ofalteration in the mechanism.

In Fig. 5 the, box is shown with crosspartitions 30 erected thereinrunning at right angles to one another, partitions 30a lying parallel tothe line. along which the section is taken and partitions 30b lying at90 thereto. As was explained earlier, the methods in general use ofsecuring these partitions within the box are subject to severaldisadvantages. These disadvantages are overcome by the-persentinventionin the following manner.

When it is intended to use partitions in the box, the ends ofthe sidewalls are cut at a slight angle to the vertical so that when the ends ofadjacent side walls are in abutment with one another, the side wallsslope inwardly as can be seen in Fig. 5. The slope of the side.

walls 18 conforms to the slope of the ends of the partitions 30a and 30bas seen in Fig. 5 and the partitions are thus wedged securely inposition within the box. To remove the partitions for replacement orrepair or if the box is to be used without the partitions, it is merelynecessary to loosen the bolts 28, remove the inside corner posts fromengagement with loops 27 and bend the walls outwardly. The partitionscan then be removed by lifting them vertically.

In order to produce the box shown in cross-section in Fig. 5 it is notnecessary to alter the manufacturing or assembly processes. The onlydifference in the components of the box seen in Fig. 5 and that of Fig.l is in the slope of the ends of the side walls 18 and the length of thechannel members 19. The slope and the length of these members may bevaried to produce a box with side walls sloping to any desired degree.

If the box is to be built in a very large size it may be necessary toprovide some sort of reinforcing for the bottom board. This canconveniently be done in the manner shown in Fig. 6. Braces which maycomprise top hat members 31 or angle members 32 may extend laterallyacross the bottom frame resting on and secured to the horizontal flange.The bottom boards 15 are then made in two or more sections as requiredto fit in the available space.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the presentinvention provides a box which attains the objects of the invention asset forth. It will be appreciated that the box can be made in anydesirable size or capacity and that other changes may be made in thestructure of the device without departing from the spirit of theinvention as defined in the appended claim.

What I claim as my invention is:

A box of the character described comprising in combination, a one piecerectangular metal bottom frame bent from a piece of angle material andhaving a horizontal flange and a vertical flange, a bottom board lyingwithin the bottom frame and resting on the horizontal flange, thehorizontal flange being provided with a hole therethrough in eachcorner, side walls extending up wardly from the marginal edges of thebottom board, a U-shaped channel member straddling the upper edge ofeach side wall, each channel member having near each end, two slits cuttherein on the leg of the U lying within the box running parallel to thelength of the channel member and the material between the slits beingraised to form a loop, an outside corner post at each corner extendingfrom the horizontal flange of the bottom frame between the side wallsand the vertical flange to the upper edge of the side walls between theside walls and the outside leg of the U-shaped channel members and aninside corner post at each corner, each inside corner post having hooksat its upper end in engagement with the loop on each of two adjacentchannel members and having at its lower end a horizontal flange providedwith a hole in registry with the hole in the horizontal flange of thebottom member, and tensioning means passing through the hole in thebottom member and the hole in the horizontal flange of the inside cornerpost in each corner to draw the horizontal flange of each corner postinto abutment with the horizontal flange of the bottom frame member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,857,350 Brock May 10, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS 605,894 Great Britain Aug.3, 1948 655,099 Great Britain July 11, 1951 707,758 Great Britain Apr.21, 1954

